Creatives explored all dimensions of sustainability at <a href="http://inhabitat.com/milan-furniture-fair/">Milan Design Week</a>&nbsp;2013 - from recycled <a href="http://inhabitat.com/giant-monkey-sculpture-made-from-thousands-of-flip-flops/">flip-flops</a> to designer bacteria - and the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.venturaprojects.com/ventura-lambrate-2013/">Ventura Lambrate</a>&nbsp;design district&nbsp;really stood out this year when it came to innovative material use.&nbsp;Inhabitat was on the scene to handpick the very best of the best — check out some of our favorite pieces after the break.

1

slowd woodrope - nicola dalla costa

A collective of designers working under the name of <a href="http://www.slowd.it/">Slowd</a> is collaborating with craftsmen to explore different, more sustainable ways to manufacture products. <a href="http://www.nicoladallacosta.com/">Nicola Dalla Costa</a> worked with makers in Italy to create a range of wooden stools and tables that are held together by rope. He showed his products at the Slowd presentation at Ventura Lambrate

2

waste=value - inger steinnes

Inger Steinnes created a new raw material made of used coffee grounds, plaster and color pigments. The material looks and feels like ceramic and it has a beautiful color.

3

xylinum stool - jannis huelsen

Using a very common cellulose bacteria, <a href="http://jannishuelsen.com/?/work/xylium/">Jannis Huelsen</a> grew a cover for a wooden stool in his studio. The material is leather-like, and is natural and biodegradable.

4

think in cycles

<a href="http://thinkincycles.com/">Think in Cycles</a> presented a 3D projection of a chair in Milan - and they're planning to wait until 1000 units have been sold to start production in an eco-effective way. The chair will be made of opla, a raw material made of corn, and once its lifecycle is complete it's designed to biodegradable within just 3 months.

5

booo - leaflead light

<a href="http://www.booo.eu/">Booo</a> is a Dutch company from the 'lightbulb' city of Eindhoven that wants to replace every old-fashioned bulb for a LED light. Design duo <a href="http://www.formafantasma.com/">Formafantasma</a> unveiled their latest product: a lightbulb and lampshade in one.

6

puff - barmaperdesign

Puff by <a href="http://mbarmaper.wix.com/momo2">Barmaper Design</a> is a stool that comes flat packed with a bicycle pump. You have to inflate the metal seating yourself, and attach the set of wooden legs.

7

flip flop story - diederik schneeman

<a href="http://www.studioschneemann.com/">Diederik Schneeman</a> used flip-flops that washed ashore on Kenyan beaches to create a new raw material. With makers from Nairobi, he created a collection of lamps and vases. In Milan he presented his latest design: a table.

8

grandmother - wilhelm teller

A <a href="http://thisisverydangerous.com/">group</a> of 20 young designers from all over the globe meet every year in Milan to decide upon a theme for next year's group presentation. This year, they all designed something that reminded them of their grandmother. <a href="http://wilhelmteller.com/">Wilhelm Teller</a> noticed his grandmother collected plates from all over the world, so he decided to recycle the products and create cake plates. What's in a name? 'Teller' means 'plates' in German.

9

marigold pouffes - studio avni mumbai

Mumbai-based designer <a href="http://studioavni.com/">Avni Sejpal</a> used old silk saris to create this stool. The fabric is folded in the same way a turban would be wrapped around the head.

10

foodmade - taste of wood - antonio arico

<a href="http://padiglione-italia.com/category/foodmade/">Foodmade</a> was one of the most interesting presentations at Ventura Lambrate. The exhibition challenged 17 designers to use food as a raw material - and they created pieces that provoke, intrigue and make our mouths water. <a href="http://www.antonioarico.com/index.php?/things/taste-of-wood---padiglione-italia-ventura-lambrate/">Antonio Arico</a> created garden furniture of olive wood and invited guests to polish the wood with olive oil and taste the oil while they're it.

11

foodmade - tofu - leonardo talarico

Designer <a href="http://www.leonardotalarico.com/start.php">Leonardo Talarico</a> found that tofu is actually a solid material for making things after it is dehydrated and exposed to thermal shock. He mad an entire chair out of little slabs of tofu.

12

the man machine - traditional techniques - made in italy

<a href="http://gruppoinstallazione.tumblr.com/">Gruppo di Installazione</a> wants to preserve the traditional skills of Italian manufacturers. This group of designers combined ancient weaving techniques with new technology, such as laser cutting. At Ventura Lambrate at Work they presented their collection of home textiles called <a href="http://gruppoinstallazione.tumblr.com/image/47285381023">'The Man-Machine.'</a>

13

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tofu chair

Creatives explored all dimensions of sustainability at Milan Design Week 2013 - from recycled flip-flops to designer bacteria - and the Ventura Lambrate design district really stood out this year when it came to innovative material use. Inhabitat was on the scene to handpick the very best of the best — check out some of our favorite pieces after the break.